Justin Dzuban: Biography

Based out of Southbay Los Angeles, Singer-songwriter, Guitarist and Producer Justin Dzuban draws an eclectic mix of influences ranging from Country Western, Rock and Roll, Folk and Classical. As a self taught musician, Justin has spent the past decade developing his techical background through Post Production sound editing for feature films, which he attributes to his ability to produce and mix music.

"Trying to logically understand what the intuitive connection is can be difficult, but knowing what feels right and what works, is half of it. Understanding the importance of capturing the essence of music and not slapping heavy arrangements all over the place because you can, is something that becomes a life path."

Justin Dzuban's Second studio album "SHAKEDOWN", self produced and mixed was released Tuesday, June 17 2014. "My objective was to focus on what I love about music and what the songs mean to me in the sense of time and space in my life. I also really enjoy older recordings where the instrumentation is simply arranged for the listener. I find layers of instruments can really give the listener a picture of how the artist hears things but I didn't' want to take away the essence of the songs and replace the space with information that dilutes the quality of the message. The subtleties and textures of the human touch are really what draw me into music and styles that I enjoy so I wanted to be true to my rudimental passion of music for this album. Our drive and influences can vary from year to year so my goal with "Shakedown" was to capture an organic, old school, yet bitchin' sound of the recordings that people found familiar but original". "I purchased a Blackspade um17 tube mic and a modified GAP 73 mic preamp, and recorded everything on the album with that one channel with the exception of the kick drum during the percussion recordings." "Americana - Rock and Roll is the best way to describe my music", he says as many people compare his sound to a combination of Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Chris Isaac. "Funny thing is, I get that a lot references to Chris Isaac and don't own any of his albums", he adds. His first studio album "Hard Love" was released in 2010. "Having the opportunity to work with Gary Mallaber on drums (Steve Miller Band, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne), and Jimmy Vivino on guitar (Conan O'brian), and Rick reed (Chicago Blues) as a rhythm section for a couple of the tracks was pretty amazing", he recalls. "They are true professionals and I am very grateful for Mike Giangreco (co producer on Hard Love) for introducing Gary into the mix", which eventually led to Vivino agreeing to join in for a session. Along with some of the more established names, Justin included some very talented musician/friends to join in on the recordings which helped produce his Americana Rock sound. Dzuban grew up with a wide range of musical influences, having access to his parents collection of vinyls, including Simon & Garfunkel , Leonard Cohen, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Ennio Morricone, Bing Crosby and many others. At the age of 13 Justin was inspired by the guitar- “I was attracted to the guitar-driven stuff, and although I played in a cover band in my early twenties, I felt that a part of me wanted to go and explore on my own and gather what experiences I was living and get back to the basics of what was so interesting about music in the first place. Eventually, I met a guy who had a recording studio. He told me he would be more than happy to record something of mine, if it was original. About the time I quit that band, I was laid off from my job in the print room of an engineering company, and I started writing songs. “The studio owner, Chuck Crosby, allowed me to his private home studio and volunteered, generously, his time to record my first 5 original songs. It was one of those experiences for me that has great significance of where I am today, doing what I'm doing. It was a pivotal point in my life,” Dzuban admits. As Justin Dzuban is working to expand his audience, the singer-songwriter sheds some light on why he makes music and writes songs: “I'm inspired by pretty normal things. I just try to slow it down and realize what's around me. It's really about bringing some kind of vision to life so we can experience it with our senses.” For more on Justin Dzuban, visit his website www.justindzuban.com, or facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/justindzuban. He can be contacted by phone at (323) 482-0131, or by email at justin@dzuban.com.